A Madman's Revenge
by Ariane2014
Summary: Written for the TMNT's 30th Anniversary. The Shredder has been having visions of alternate versions of himself being continuously defeated by different versions of his greatest enemies the turtles. Will they be saved from the wrath of his vengeance? Or will they be consumed by it? Chapter 6 up :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone. So I guess was hit with an "inspiration ray" or something because this idea came to me while I was going to my classes this week. This is for Zebralily999's community "TMNT 30th Anniversary Fics". It's my first time writing something like this, but I hope you guys all grow to like it. :) To my "Ten Seconds" fans, don't worry. I'm still working on that one as well, but this was very obstinate in wanting to get written. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT.**

-x-

Oroku Saki tossed and turned in his bed, groaning and muttering in his sleep as he was trapped in yet another nightmare. He woke with a start, his eyes wide, drenched in sweat as he drew in deep gasps trying to slow down his heart rate. "Not again," he grumbled to himself as he remembered the events in his most recent nightmare.

Saki had been fighting those blasted turtles yet again. He had captured the red one and had successfully lured the others into a trap. They were all caught in a net and he was slowly maneuvering the net over a collection of deadly sharp weapons and other objects. He had finally won! He was finally going to eliminate the four most annoying creatures from his life! He would finally have his revenge for when they tossed him into the back of a garbage truck a few months prior. And then…

He had forgotten about that rat sensei of theirs. Just before the net reached the pile of weapons, an arrow shot through the rope, sending them falling safely to the ground. Saki could only stare in surprise as he looked in the direction from where he had heard "Cowabunga!" before he noticed that the blue one crossed his arms and stated, "That's right, Shredder! You forgot! We carry insurance!" The orange one quickly continued with "Yeah. We travel with Splinter, dude!"

Infuriated, Saki heard himself yell, "Get them!"…

And then Saki had woken up. This was not the first of these types of visions he had had this week. It was not the fact he had just had a nightmare that weighed on his mind, it was that it felt so _real_ that bothered him. Each one happened the same way. He would be so close to eliminating those _freaks_ before his enemy Hamato Yoshi interfered. He knew the rat was Yoshi, but in those dreams, he found that he couldn't trust his memories. He'd see himself and realize he couldn't recognize his face! Even those turtles and Yoshi would look different!

A light knocking on his door brought him out of his thoughts. "Come in," he ordered feeling exhausted.

"Father, are you alright?" a young girl asked him. Her eyes were sharp, and her short hair gave her the appearance of being ready for action at a moment's notice. At the moment, however, she was wearing a nightgown and a pair of slippers. Definitely not the kind of outfit a person would wear to go out.

Saki met the girl's gaze, losing himself in the depths of concern her eyes held for him. 'Father?' he thought as his mind struggled to place just who this girl was. Finally, he remembered, "Karai…is that you?" When she nodded, he reached out for her hands as relief and horror swept through him. 'How could I forget my own daughter's name? These visions are taking their toll on my psychological well-being after all.'

"Father, you were screaming again. Were you having nightmares?" Karai asked him, her tone laden with her concern for her father's health.

"Forgive me, Karai. I did not mean to wake you. I am fine, I just need to get some sleep." Saki lowered his gaze back to his pillow. He didn't want his daughter – or was she his granddaughter? – to let his worries consume her. Even though he wasn't technically her father by birth, he had still raised her for years. He loved her, for she so closely resembled the love of his life that was now departed from this world.

Karai seemed to regard him thoughtfully, as if deciding whether or not to leave him be. Eventually she gave a small bow and left the room. Before closing the door behind her she whispered, "Get some sleep, Father. Don't forget that we are supposed to lay a trap for the turtles tomorrow." Then the door clicked shut, and the sounds of receding footsteps echoed in the dark and empty hallway.

Saki found himself grinning evilly as he imagined the pleasure of finally destroying his enemies tomorrow. As he laid his head back down on his pillow he found himself thinking about how long he had been fighting these enemies. 'Has it really only been a year? Why does it feel like it's been much longer, like thirty years? It must be those visions! They are responsible for my confusion! One minute I'm with two absolute morons named Bebop and Rocksteady, and the next I'm back with the idiots Bradford and Xever. I even had two mutants named Tonka and Rahzaar that thought I was their mother!'

He took in a deep yawn as he felt the tell tale signs of upcoming sleep start to take him in. 'Oh well. It'll all be over the instant I completely destroy Yoshi and those abominations that he calls family. Then my sanity will finally return to me.' With a final stretch, he closed his eyes and slipped into darkness…

When he opened his eyes, he found that he was yet again in the midst of one of the strange visions. "Not again!" he growled as he struggled to find the way out of this current dream. He saw his reflection in his gauntlet and realized with a gasp that, once again, he looked different. Raising his hand to the right side of his face, he couldn't believe what he felt. Or to be more accurate, what he didn't feel. Gone were the burn scars that covered the right side of his face. And he could see out of his right eye for the first time in years! He marveled over his reflection in wonder until he heard a Foot soldier call out to him, "Master Shredder! We have located the turtles over by the water tank on 5th."

Turning around in a flash, Saki regarded the soldier in front of him, confusion and pleasure at the news warring within him. "Are you absolutely positive that they are there?" he questioned in an authoritative tone.

His subordinate – was he? – didn't even flinch as he replied, "Yes, Master. We saw the van that we have previously observed them using to escape in the past parked nearby. One of our scouts reported that he saw four figures at that location as well. We have no reason to believe we are mistaken in our report to you, Master Shredder."

Saki grinned as he ordered, "Very well. We will go there at once." With that, he ran toward the water tower, his glee and excitement increasing with each step he took that brought him closer to his prey. When he found them, he noticed that they were waiting for him. As he prepared to take them down, he felt his heart respond by beating faster, pounding to the point of desperation to ensure every one of his muscles was well supplied with blood and oxygen. How Saki loved the pre-battle tension that always hung in the air whenever he encountered the turtles.

Speaking of turtles, he took a moment to realize that they too looked different. They looked taller, more muscular and held none of the naivety he had grown to expect with the turtles he was used to encountering. His eyes narrowed, and his gaze traveled over all four of them. He was not sure, but it seemed that the orange one had something missing from his face, and something about the purple one's smile threw him off. Saki dismissed the concerns with a mental shrug. It wasn't like he really cared about each turtle's individuality in the first place, so why let it bother him?

The orange one spoke first, exchanging a quick glance with the blue one, "Dude."

Then the red one added, "Let the butt kicking begin."

Finally the blue one drew his weapons and got into a battle ready position. Saki couldn't help but grin as he ordered, "Foot ninja, ATTACK!"

Then the battle began. Saki had to admit that these turtles could fight very well. They were a tad more polished and practiced than the turtles he was accustomed to. Eventually, Saki had decided he had had enough of standing by on the sidelines. So when an injured foot distracted the orange one he sent the freak flying into the water tower, reveling in the cry of pain that escaped the lips of the beaten turtle. Saki waited to take out the purple one until it was distracted by a conversation, but he easily sent the fool flying with a few quick punches. He was just about to take out the blue one when the red one got in the way. Unperturbed, Saki grabbed the red one and sent it to join the purple one by a small wall. He was surprised when he saw that the orange one had started fighting again, but he was still mostly unimpressed by how easily he defeated it for a second time as it was sent flying yet again. Now he was finally free to focus his attention on the blue one, and boy was he glad when it jumped right in front of him without realizing its mistake. With a grin, Saki sent that one flying toward its companions, enjoying the sweet taste of victory.

'I have won!' Saki thought, feeling joy as he slowly approached the huddled and injured turtles, relishing the panicked expressions on their faces. 'Yes! After all these years! All I have to do is end their lives and the visions will end!' He raised his gauntlet, preparing to put an end to the turtles as he promised, "None of you will leave here alive!" As he swung down, an all too familiar voice sounded from behind him. As usual, he had forgotten about the rat!

"Shredder! Nooo!" He heard the rat cry as the rodent dashed in to defend the turtles. The rodent brought up his cane to block Saki's gauntlet as he hissed "You destroyed my family once. I will not allow that to happen again!"

Saki yelled, feeling furious with the old rodent, "No man – or freak – can defeat me!"

Yoshi – was the rat Yoshi? – growled, "That remains to be seen!" With a flourish of the wrist, the rat shoved Saki aside and Saki felt pain as the cane struck his side.

The rat led Saki closer to where the water tank stood, and Saki let himself feel confident that he was defeating this rodent at its own game. After all, it wasn't fighting back, but was just moving about in a defensive manner, dodging and jumping. Meanwhile Saki's gauntlet was slashing through the support beams.

Saki should have known it was a trap. After all, rats are very tricky. When the water tank began to sway due to the sudden lack of support, Saki watched in horror as the rat yelled, "This is for my master, Yoshi!" and launched a jump kick at the severed beam. Saki tried to get away, but the tank burst and he found himself being swept away in a giant wave of water.

When Saki awoke, he found that he was no longer able to sustain a clear line of thought from beginning to end. 'Was Yoshi alive? Was he a rat? Am I a father? Am I a grandfather? Are those turtles even real? Did I control that blue one for a time?' Then Saki grinned, his mind pulling up memories of different visions he had witnessed over the past several days. "I see," he muttered to himself, "I understand clearly now. I must avenge all my fallen comrades who have been tormented by the presence of such horrendous monstrosities! This was a message from destiny! Time for me to destroy the turtles and that rat once and for all! Yes! YES! Tomorrow, they will all come to an end!" He felt something in his brain snap, and then a maniacal laugh exploded from him. He had no idea what time it was, and he found he didn't care. There was only one thing he cared about now – revenge.

His mad laughter echoed throughout the halls of his house as he began to plot the perfect way to destroy his most hated enemies.

-x-

**So I referenced a few different incarnations of the turtles in this little chapter (Secret of the Ooze, 2003 series). ;) The story itself takes place after the season 1 finale of the 2012 series. 2 weeks to be exact. Anyway, let me know what you guys think ;) I love hearing what thoughts/concerns you guys all have. Hahaha! See you guys next time :D **

**- Ariane**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everyone. :) So if you haven't seen the season 1 finale of the 2012 show, I highly suggest you stop what you are doing and watch it immediately because it is just that awesome :) Lol. Well that and there are some slight spoilers (okay, maybe not **_**slight**_**) in the flashback sequence of this chapter. If you'd rather not have it ruined for you, SKIP IT. Please, it'll make you happier because I didn't spoil anything for you (although you should still watch the finale in my opinion heheheh). Now that the SPOILER WARNING is out of the way, please enjoy ;) Oh, and this chapter takes place the day after chapter 1 (you know, the day Karai mentioned having a little surprise planned?)  
**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own TMNT.**

-x-

Leonardo drew in a deep breath, enjoying the rare quiet that had settled over the lair from within the confines of his room. He had decided that he would take this opportunity to practice meditating since it required the utmost concentration and focus. It was not easy to get that when his three younger brothers had a tendency to wreak havoc during the long periods between their training sessions and their evening patrol. He let his thoughts turn inward as he began to tune out the outside world.

Things had been quiet in the streets above since they stopped the Kraang invasion two weeks ago. Leo felt that this peace was a mixed blessing. He felt like they needed the break, or at least he did. A shiver passed through him as he remembered that night.

-Flashback-

Almost everything had gone wrong with their mission. There was a force field around the Kraang portal that resisted the blast of the Micro Fission Omni Disintegrator. Leonardo had been so sure that the MFOD would work that when the portal remained intact he turned on his brother Donnie, who had assured him that his calculations were accurate, and yelled in surprise, "There's a force field?! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Well, because I wanted us to fail." Donatello had said with a sarcastic grin on his face. When Leo narrowed his eyes, thoroughly unamused, Don continued, "Obviously, I DIDN'T KNOW!"

As the Kraang started to open fire on them, Raph asked, "Anyone got a plan B?"

Leo's mind raced, repeating 'Need a plan…need a plan…' He remembered when Master Splinter had told him in the past that plans rarely hold throughout the mission and that success was determined by how you adapted to the unexpected. With a mental sigh, he felt embarrassed at how he forgot this important lesson.

As he dodged and jumped around the rock giant, he glanced up at Donnie and asked, "Donnie? How's that plan B coming?" His mind was too spent to think of anything other than surviving the rock giant's heavy steps and lava attack. Since his younger brother was much smarter than he was, a part of him hoped that if anyone could come up with a good plan, Donatello would. 'After all,' he thought despondently, 'my plan failed.'

Donnie used his bo staff to hold a Kraang droid in front of him as a shield against some laser blasts as he responded, "I'm thinking!"

"Think faster!" Leo yelled, his frustration at his own uselessness making him sound angrier than he intended. When he whirled around to blow off that big boulder's approaching hand, he heard his brother call out to him.

"I can probably hack into the Kraang system if you give me enough time!" Don snapped, and Leo flinched as he heard the irritation in his brother's voice.

But he quickly recovered and replied, "Great! Do that!" He knew he was right to have faith in Donnie's mental abilities. Now he just had to buy his little brother enough time to hack into the system. That was something Leo knew he could accomplish. 'Just got to keep the giant busy.' He thought to himself with a smirk.

He was doing alright for a while, the MFOD was definitely slowing the enemy down, but at a cost. It kept taking longer and longer for the device to fire off another blast and then a horrible realization hit him. "This thing's running out of juice!" He announced to his brothers loudly.

Then Michelangelo called out, "And guys, look!" As everyone turned to look where Mikey was pointing, the youngest continued, "The portal!"

'Oh shell' Leo thought as he watched the portal adjust itself into a different position. Turning a desperate expression toward where Donnie was working he told the braniac "Whatever's coming through the portal will be here soon."

As Donnie started tapping his T-phone more frantically, Raph's impatient voice rang out, "When's that force field coming down, Donnie?"

Donnie replied immediately, "I'm working on it!"

Leo looked around as Kraang and the rocky alien began to attack again. With a giant leap, and a little help from a Kraang he had kicked, he managed to get close enough to deliver a blast to the creature's chest, sending heavy limbs and appendages flying in all directions as it crashed to the ground.

As the unattached blocks of granite started to return to the fallen enemy, Mikey cried out, "I forgot he could do that."

Leo glanced down at the MFOD, concerned that the device was about to die out on him and muttered, "Not good."

Then Donnie's excited voice rang out, giving all of them hope as he yelled, "Guys, I think I got it!" And when the toaster popped and a pink shimmer washed over the portal, the genius exclaimed, "Yes! All hail me!"

Then the portal started up, a pink ball of light forming in the ceiling as the sounds of its activation whirred in the atmosphere. Leo's thoughts came to an abrupt stop as he felt panic seize him for a moment. He heard Don and Mike say something in the background, but he was not paying attention to them anymore. He was crossing his fingers and praying that the MFOD would be able to last one more shot. The Kraang surrounded them and Leo didn't notice that all his brothers had gathered behind him as he muttered, "Come on baby. Come on baby. Come on baby!"

Then the device made its chirp that signaled that it had charged up a blast and, feeling quite certain that _this_ time everything would work as he aimed the MFOD straight for the portal, he yelled, "YES! Say 'Goodnight' Kraang!"

And then, the device died, without getting the shot off. As they all stared at the device and each other in surprise, Donnie yelled, "What the heck happened?!"

"I think the batteries died!" Leo explained.

Then Raph chimed in, "And we'll be joining them, unless someone thinks of something."

"What's plan C, Leo?" Donnie asked, his exhaustion starting to show in his voice.

Leo's mind raced as he struggled to think of a way to still manage to pull off a success somehow. 'This was not supposed to be this difficult.' He mentally scolded himself. As he glanced around him, his eyes landed on the power cell and a drastic idea hit him. Not knowing of anything better to do, he asked, "Donnie, what would happen if I ruptured the power cell?"

Donnie glanced at him in surprise as he warned, "The whole place would go up, with US IN IT!"

Leo made up his mind, determined to see this through once and for all. He unsheathed one of his katana as he ordered his brothers, "Go!"

They all glanced at each other in fear and concern and then Donnie asked, "Whoa, Leo. You aren't thinking what I think you're thinking?!"

Leo didn't respond, only turning around to quickly start taking out as many enemies as he could to ensure his brothers would be able to escape without suffering any more injuries. As he dashed away from his brothers he heard Donnie exclaim, "He's thinking it!"

He saw his brothers exit the tower in a hurry, and he grinned as he took down Kraang after Kraang. His heart was pounding and adrenaline coursed through his veins. He felt his ninja instincts take over and he felt pleasure at how much faster, stronger and agile he became when he gave in to them. 'I've got this in the bag!' he thought with pride as he turned his attention back to the power cell. With a yell, he dove for the target, his blade sinking into the highly vulnerable device.

Then the portal began to explode. Leo knew he had to get away quickly, so he performed flip after flip until he finally jumped out of the window. For a moment he thought, 'I did it!' When the building followed suit, smoke and debris surrounded him as he began to fall to the ground. A feeling of weightlessness settled over him as he realized he had forgotten a very critical detail. Turtles don't fly.

Panic set in as the ground continued to approach. 'I'm falling! I'm FALLING!' he thought as he swung his arms in the air, a pointless resistance against the forces of gravity. 'I'm not going to make it' he thought sadly as he realized he was all out of options. He didn't have the wings, they were likely a smoldering pile of debris by now. He didn't have his grappling hook, it was also most likely incinerated by the explosions. As his life flashed before his eyes, his thoughts turned back to his family. 'At least they made it out.' He hoped they knew how much he loved them as he braced himself for the end.

Then he became aware that someone had grabbed him, saving him. It was Raphael. As Leo's mind processed the fact he was not dead, he heard Raph holler, "In your face, gravity!"

With a relieved sigh, Leo looked up at his brother and said, "Thanks Raph."

"Any time, buddy."

With a nervous chuckle, Donnie joined in, "I can't believe it! We saved the world!"

"Yeah!" Mikey said with a grin.

…

And then they learned that the Kraang had April in their TechnoDrome. Leo and his brothers could only stand in shock as they listened to Mr. O'Neil tell them what had happened while they were at TCRI.

It had been a long fight to reach where the Kraang had April held captive. The fact that there was no sense of gravity in the TechnoDrome definitely threw Leo off at first. But eventually, he and his brothers managed to locate the room where a giant Kraang had April attached to an assortment of strange machines.

"Witness the end of your kind!" The giant Kraang said in an oddly coherent way. This confused Leonardo since most of his experiences with the Kraang involved them speaking a very broken and very grammatically incorrect English.

Pushing his thoughts aside, he narrowed his eyes as he yelled, "Not if we can help it!"

"Turtles?!" The giant Kraang exclaimed in shock. "Kraang will not be stopped by pathetic mutants!"

"At least we're not stupid aliens!" Michelangelo taunted.

Leo turned his attention to Raphael and ordered, "Raph, quick!"

Without hesitation, Raph dove into the Kraang, causing the giant alien to scream in agony while Donatello leapt forward to free April from the restraints and head device.

Leo kept his attention divided on both the Kraang who was still crying and April who was being held by Donnie. He smiled a bit as April looked into Donnie's eyes and whispered, "You're my hero." He knew how much his brother cared for the redhead, and he held back a taunt as the shy turtle blushed and chuckled nervously.

"Hey, Chuckles." Raph said, growing slightly impatient with his brother's antics. "We've gotta get out of here."

Leo blinked, remembering that they would have time for celebration as soon as they got April out. He quickly helped place April on Don's back and they all started to climb out of the room.

"Let's go!" Donnie exclaimed as they left the Kraang's room.

Leo believed wholeheartedly that they had defeated the Kraang, so he boldly led the way out of the TechnoDrome. 'Just have to get home. Then we're safe.' He thought as he began to let himself relax. Sure there were the small typical Kraang that tried to stop them from escaping, but Leo and the others took them out without too much difficulty. That was when an ominous feeling began to form in his stomach. 'This seems…too easy.' He thought hesitantly.

An explosion occurred not long after he sent a small Kraang falling down to the bottom of the tower they were using to escape. That was when the ship started to tilt, turning the tunnel on its side. He and his brothers held on tight and the room's gravitational pull shifted. 'And I thought having gravity was a good thing' he thought tiredly. After the ship stopped moving, they continued their dash for an exit of any kind.

"Leo? I have a question!" Mikey called out between breaths.

As Leo pounced on another Kraang, he felt a twinge of irritation sweep through him as he asked, "Can it wait?"

"Not really! Did we beat that big Kraang thingie?"

"Yes, Mikey. We did." Leo chanced a moment to glance back at his baby brother over his shoulder.

Michelangelo's next question stopped Leonardo's blood cold. "'Kay, then why is it following us?!"

'Oh shell' Leo thought as he turned around and saw the giant Kraang from earlier chasing them down. 'C'mon legs! MOVE!' he silently ordered himself, and as the Kraang approached, he followed his brothers in haste.

It didn't take long for the Kraang to catch up to them. Leo found himself listening for the sounds of his brothers' footsteps to make sure that they kept on moving forward. Then he heard the familiar sound of the energy beam attack that most of the little Kraang had in their hover cars. As explosions rang out on all sides, Leo found himself thinking back to when he ruptured the Kraang power cell earlier that evening. 'I'm fine. I'm ok. I'm with my brothers.' He thought to himself, fighting the terror that threatened to take hold of him.

"Everybody, there's one last escape pod up ahead!" Donnie called out, clearly relieved that the mission was nearly over.

Then Leo heard Michelangelo cry out as he tripped and found himself in a seemingly bottomless pit. He watched in horror as the Kraang started to charge up an energy attack that would definitely hit his little brother if given enough time.

Driven by his protective instincts, Leo rushed in and yelled, "GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" He performed a somersault and sliced right through the Kraang's weapon, allowing the device to fall through the crevice. When he reached down for his brother, a wave of relief swept through him as he saw his brother was not hurt or that far down. "Hurry Mikey!" He called out.

Mikey pulled out one of his nunchaku and hoisted one end into Leo's outstretched hand. As Leo lifted his brother out of there, the Kraang threatened, "There's nowhere for you to run, mutants!"

Leo and Mikey started to dash away, desperate to reach the escape pod. As he saw his brothers jump into the pod, Leo stopped, whirling around to face the Kraang. He wasn't too sure what he thought he'd find, but a part of him hoped that the Kraang would be farther away from them. That there'd be more time for them to get away before the Kraang reached them.

Unfortunately, that was not what Leonardo found when he turned back to face the Kraang. It was practically in his face, just meters away from where his brothers were in the escape pod. As Leo stared directly into the Kraang's eyes, the Kraang growled, "All of you will _die_ here."

Leo took deep breaths, steeling his nerve as he tried to ignore the pleading calls of his brothers. Sensei's words from earlier that afternoon were ringing clearly in his head. _"With the world at stake, the only thing of importance is that you complete your mission. No matter what you have to sacrifice…or who."_ 'Hai, Sensei. I know what I must do.' He thought as he prepared himself for his last ditch effort to keep his brothers, and the world, safe.

As the Kraang started to launch an attack, Leo pounced, using Michelangelo's kusarigama to tie the Kraang's arm tentacle behind its back. He began to pull backward on the chain while the enraged alien continued to try lunging for the escape pod.

"Leo!" He heard Raph cry out in protest.

"No! Get out of here! Now!" Leo ordered, not in the mindset to allow for any resistance from his stubborn brother.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dude, you can't do this!" Now Mikey was arguing with him.

"Go!" He yelled more desperately than before. His grip on the Kraang was starting to loosen and he yelled, "I can't hold it back any longer!"

"Leo!"

Finally Donatello stepped in and dragged Raphael back into the escape pod while Mikey closed it shut. "We gotta go now!"

When the pod rose, Leo allowed himself to utter "Sayonara, watashi no kyodai." Then the chain restraining the Kraang snapped and for a moment Leo feared the pod would not get away from the Kraang in time. Fortunately for everyone, the pod sped away just before the Kraang could reach it with its tentacles. A small smile formed on Leo's face as he made peace with himself.

In a fit of rage, the Kraang whirled on him and wrapped a tentacle around his torso, lifting him up so that the alien could look him in the eye. It hissed, "You, mutant, will pay!"

Leo let out a frightened gasp as he realized that the Kraang was going to throw him down a pit similar to the one Mikey had fallen down. 'No!' he thought frantically, desperately wanting nothing more than to get away.

The Kraang grinned sadistically as Leo struggled vainly to wiggle free. "Is the mutant afraid of falling?" It teased cruelly.

That gave Leo pause as he stared with wide eyes at the alien. 'Afraid? Of falling? Impossible!' He thought stubbornly even though his body betrayed him by trembling more violently. 'Stop shaking! Stop shaking! Stop shaking!' His eyes defiant, he growled at the Kraang, "Never!"

The Kraang was unconvinced and smirked as it reared back, purring "Kraang will test you, mutant!" Then it threw Leo as hard as it could down into the crevice.

Leo screamed as he felt himself falling in the darkness. A part of him hoped that somehow, his brothers would come through for him and save him. 'I'm a fool.' He thought, pushing that hope away almost immediately, 'my brothers won't come for me.' As he braced himself for impact, he muttered, "I guess I really am afraid."

Then, instead of an impact against some metal, the air rushed out of him as he hit a liquid concrete with a giant _SPLASH_. He sunk into the wet substance, unable to move for the stinging pain along his carapace. Opening his mouth to breathe, he tasted salt water, and opened his eyes wide in surprise. 'I'm alive!' He thought as he neither rose or sank further into the watery depths. His survival instinct kicked in and he struggled to swim to the surface, ignoring the way his shell continued to protest to the movement.

When he broke the surface, he drew in deep gasps, looking around wildly as he regained his senses. About ten meters away, he saw the Kraang's TechnoDrome fall into the water and marveled at how close he had come to sinking along with the ship. 'Almost like Captain Ryan' he thought in exhaustion.

As he saw pods start to rise to the surface, he realized with a gasp that he had no idea where his brothers were. Tired and sore, he found a piece of the TechnoDrome's outer part and used that to help keep himself afloat while he weakly kicked with his legs to move and find his brothers. After about a minute of swimming around, he found a pod that had drifted away from the others, and the figures inside it looked very familiar. As he drew closer, a smile formed on his face as he overheard Raphael talking to the others.

"I gave him nothing but a hard time. If I had to do it over again, I'd definitely be nicer."

With a mental shrug, Leo decided that was about as close as he would get to his brother actually allowing himself to become vulnerable around anyone other than Spike and so, with a hint of mischief in his tone, he swam up behind Raph and asked, "Really?"

"Really…" Raph replied before noticing that he recognized the voice. Leo watched as Raph turned around, his eyes wide with shock as he hesitantly called out, "Leo?" And when Raph saw Leo, the green-eyed brother yelled, "Leo!"

Leo paddled up to them, chuckling as he took in the surprised and thrilled expressions on his brothers' and April's faces.

Then in true "Raph"ian fashion, the hot head growled happily, "Leo, you dork! You scared the heck out of us!"

-Present-

Leo shook his head as he found that his thoughts were anything but meditative. With a sigh, he muttered, "I haven't been able to meditate lately." He frowned as he started to get out of the proper position. He had hoped that meditation would help him work past this newfound fear of falling. 'I jump between buildings! I run on rooftops! Why?!' He punched his fist into his pillow as his frustration mounted. A voice rang through his head, 'Well think about it. You did nearly fall to your death twice in less than twelve hours. Any normal person would be afraid after that.'

"But I'm a ninja!" He growled in frustration. "I'm supposed to be brave! I'm not supposed to be trembling like a frightened child!" The voice called out to him again, 'Calm down. You're better than this.' Leo stopped himself, and started to take deep breaths, allowing himself to settle his rolling emotions back down. 'That's better.' The voice said.

Leo grimaced as he turned his attention away from the inside of his head to the clock on his wall. He stood up with a groan as he muttered to himself, "Well, it's time for me to get the guys ready for our nightly patrol." As he exited his room, he found his brothers scattered about the lair.

Mike was busy watching television in the living room, and Raph was busy pounding away at the Shredder dummy. Leo didn't see Don physically, but he guessed that judging from the sounds coming from the lab, that his brother was busy running some experiment or test. As he approached his brothers, he heard his Sensei call him from the dojo "Leonardo. Come here."

Uncertain, he chanced a glance at his brothers to see if they had any idea what was up, but aside from confused and curious stares, he got no information. Straightening his shoulders, he entered the dojo and knelt down in front of his father.

Almost immediately, Master Splinter turned around and asked with narrowed eyes, "What is wrong, my son?"

Leo's mind went blank as he stammered, "W-why nothing is wrong, Sensei! Why would you think something like that?" He put his hand behind his head as he grinned nervously.

He felt Sensei's disbelieving gaze rove over him before settling on his face, staring him directly in the eyes. Leo couldn't help but swallow as he felt like all the secrets of his soul were being exposed. Finally Master Splinter let out a sigh as he whispered, "You know you can trust me, right Leonardo?"

Leonardo nodded enthusiastically as he replied, "Of course, Sensei."

A long moment stretched between them and Leo felt like he shouldn't even dare to breathe. Finally, his father spoke, "My son. Do not forget that it is due to the existence of fear, that we can know what it means to be brave."

Leo found himself surrounded in the warm and knowing gaze of his father, and tears threatened to form in his eyes as he thought 'Of course he knows.' With a respectful bow, he muttered, "Hai, Sensei."

As he stood up to leave, he heard his father warn "Be careful on your patrol tonight."

He paused and turned back to gaze warmly at his father. "Of course Sensei." And as he walked out, he found all three of his brothers waiting anxiously right outside the dojo.

Raphael grinned at Leo and asked, "All ready, Fearless?"

With a brief nod, Leo ordered, "Let's go guys!" As he and his brothers left the lair to run through the sewers, he found himself feeling a little lax. 'Not like anything is going to happen anyway' he thought calmly.

-x-

**Uh-oh. Famous last words, don't you think? Hahahaha. Well I certainly hope nothing happens to them. …Pfft! Who am I kidding? You guys read the summary and chapter 1. Little do they know a certain someone is plotting a certain something for some certain teenagers. ;) Lol. Anyway, so this is a very long chapter (4,052 words!) and I just couldn't find a spot where I could cut it or where I particularly wanted to cut it. So I apologize for making you guys read so much in one sitting. Rest assured however, this will probably be the only one this long. I try to keep my chapters between 1,500 and 3,000 words. But think of it this way, it's been a while since I updated this story so I felt like you guys deserved a long one.**

**Oh, and I did take a moment in the chapter to put my spin on how a certain turtle survived a certain incident in the finale. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you guys all thought of this addition. :) See you guys next time!**

**- Ariane**

**P.S. "Sayonara, watashi no kyodai" basically translates to "Farewell, my brothers."**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone :) It was brought to my attention in the last chapter that I didn't clarify when these chapters took place. The story as a whole takes place after the season 1 finale. Chapter 1 begins 2 weeks after the Kraang invasion and chapter 2 takes place the next day (the day Karai said that they were planning a trap for our turtles). And this chapter takes place…well you'll see ;)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own the turtles.**

-x-

Karai sat in total silence, the wind blowing through her cropped hair as she peered through the darkness like a hawk. She was with at least thirty of the highest ranking members of the Foot, and her father was counting on her to succeed. She was not allowed to fail him again. His deep voice echoed in her mind, _"Failure comes with a stiff penalty, child."_

She shuddered at how different he started sounding lately. Her father had always been very harsh and strict, rarely ever showing satisfaction with her technique or abilities. Once Leo and the others had shown up, he had become obsessed with hunting them down. But, at least to her, it seemed that ever since her father's battle against Hamato Yoshi he had become much colder. He had become more distant and harder for her to read.

Movement on the streets below caught her attention. A thin grin spread across her lips as she recognized the red headed girl on the sidewalk. 'Looks like the princess has left her castle.' Her orders were simple. Capture April and use her as bait to lure in the turtles and Hamato. She turned a glance over at the Foot all around her and gave the signal for them to follow their target. Right now, April was in the open, and Karai felt her frustration growing at the fact she had to stay hidden in the shadows.

Eventually April wandered into a darkened alley and Karai had to stifle a laugh at how naïve the princess was. 'She doesn't even realize she's being followed! How pathetic.' She felt the muscles in her legs tense in anticipation, smirking as she flipped down from where she had stayed on the rooftop. When she straightened herself back up, she found that she thoroughly enjoyed the surprised and fearful look that she inspired in the red-head's face.

"Good evening, Princess."

"Karai…!"

She bowed as she replied, "At your service." She strode toward April, keeping her stern eyes fixed on the shaken and slightly surprised girl. Even though April wasn't a huge threat, Karai had to remember that she was undergoing ninjutsu training from that rat master. And seeing as how Leo had learned under the same master, that was more than enough for Karai to at least slightly consider April's fledgling abilities.

Karai saw the expression on April's face turn from fear to a brave determination. When April whipped out her tessan, Karai performed a back flip, dodging the metal fan's sharp edge. With a smile on her face, Karai formed fists in front of her body. She knew that if she could just grab the tessan, then she could leave it where Leo would be sure to find it. A wave of pleasure swept through her as she thought of seeing him again. Leo's presence always made things more interesting for her, and she hated being bored.

As April charged her, Karai stepped to the side, easily dodging April's reckless forwardness. Though April had improved since the last time Karai had fought her, April was still a rookie who hadn't mastered the cunning patience that came with experience. She teased and taunted April with flips and jumps as she continued to lure April where she had allies in wait.

After April had tried the same tactic four times, the girl paused and narrowed her blue eyes suspiciously at Karai. "What are you up to, Karai?"

The question caught Karai completely off guard. Her brown eyes widened in shock as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"I've been wide open. And you haven't taken advantage. So…what are you up to?"

Karai was speechless. She had assumed that April was just being a fool for the sake of it. Her expression darkened as she retorted, "I'm hurt that you would even suggest such things."

April shook her head and continued with a glare, "Stop lying. I know you're up to something. I just don't know what yet."

With a bored sigh, Karai flicked her wrist, signaling for the Foot to go ahead and jump in. She saw April freeze as ten Foot suddenly surrounded her on all sides. She had to give April props for attempting to fight back, but the kunoichi-in-training just didn't have the skills necessary to fight off ten opponents at once. Karai strode up as the Foot had April restrained, the girl struggling vainly to free herself.

Karai bent down to pick up the abandoned tessan, and closed it quickly in front of April's face with a sneer. "Settle down, Princess. I need you in order to capture your knights in shining armor. Don't force me to mark that perfect face." She stroked April's cheek with her hand, relishing in the reproachful look she was receiving from her bait.

Karai watched as April continued to struggle with a bored expression. As she thought, things were boring whenever Leo wasn't around. Plus, she really didn't like April. It was too bothersome for her to consider the reasons as to why she felt this animosity toward the red-headed girl. All she knew was that April's very presence rubbed her the wrong way, and that was good enough for her. She was so lost in her thoughts that she missed hearing the voice of one of her Foot subordinates. Feeling the expectant gaze from under the mask, Karai's attention snapped to the Foot soldier and she asked very intelligently, "Huh?"

If the Foot snickered at her question, Karai didn't notice. "Lady Karai. What are your orders?"

"Oh" she stated as she tapped her chin with the closed tessan. She hummed as she quickly began to think of the next stage of the plan. This was the first time her father had entrusted her with a mission of this scale without coming up with the complete plan himself. 'All he really said was to figure it out on my own' she thought with a bizarre mix of anxiety and excitement. She turned her attention back to her prisoner as a light bulb flared to life inside her mind. "You have a cell phone, don't you?"

April's eyes widened and her gaze flicked down to her right front pocket before she managed to recompose her expression to match an indifferent mask. "Yeah. I do. So? Everyone has one."

Karai grinned, "And you have your brave knights' phone numbers?" She strode forward, ignoring April's denials and protests as she reached into April's pocket and pulled out her prize. The shape alarmed her at first. It almost looked like the phone had a shell. When her gaze moved back to April's face, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Really?"

Karai wasn't surprised when she found herself to be the focus of a burning blue glare, and shrugged, muttering under her breath "Whatever floats your boat." She began to fiddle with the shell phone and grimaced when she discovered that the phone was locked with a four digit passcode. Tilting her head to the side, she met April's burning eyes directly and demanded, "Give me your passcode."

"No!" came the expected refusal.

"Princess, don't force me to hurt you. Damaged bait is far less appetizing."

April swallowed audibly, and Karai believed that April was cracking. However, that was not what she ended up discovering.

"Do your worst! I know you're going to use me to lure Don and the others into a trap! I'd rather die!" April spat angrily.

A wave of newfound respect and admiration for her enemy swelled in Karai. She grinned maliciously and handed the phone to the bowed Foot next to her and ordered, "Get this to headquarters. Father will want it thoroughly examined." When the Foot soldier left, Karai turned her attention back to the others that were both restraining and surrounding April. "Take the princess with you. I will let you know when and where to bring her later."

Karai watched as the Foot began to take April away, the fiery red-head walking determinedly on her own as she held tight to her pride as a kunoichi. She lightly tossed the tessan into the air, catching it when it began to fall. She had a slightly crazy idea as to how to make the turtles go frantic with worry before she returned their princess back to them. Confident the plan would work, she strode through the streets until she reached Murakami's Noodle Shop a few blocks away.

The blind owner was busy sweeping the dining area of his establishment, and Karai took a moment to appreciate the fact that the place was as clean as it was considering the owner couldn't see. He stopped when he heard her footsteps on the hardwood floor and turned toward her. A friendly smile appeared on his face as he hollered, "Welcome, my friends."

Karai looked at the clock on the wall, feeling quite proud for accurately guessing that the owner was a friend to the turtles. After all, it was late and no one but Leo and his brothers would be out and about in this part of town at 8 pm. 'Jackpot' she thought smugly. "I apologize, Murakami-san. I'm not who you think I am."

The expression on Murakami-san's face instantly transformed into one of complete horror as Karai's words hung in the room. "It's you!" he said with a gasp. His hands clenched his broom handle tightly, knuckles turning white as the man straightened up so he stood taller.

Karai regarded him thoughtfully as she noted the change in Murakami-san's demeanor. With a toss of her head she asked, "Isn't business slow after 6?" Silence filled the empty room and Karai could feel frustration burning within her. She wasn't used to being ignored, and she decided that she didn't like it. Her eyes narrowed and she growled, "You will answer every one of my questions! I have your friend April in my care!"

That got a reaction from the blind man. "You have April-chan?" A shudder passed through him while he took in deep breaths. "What do you want?"

"You're friends with the turtles, are you not?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering sullenly, "H-hai."

"I take it they were supposed to stop by here at some point tonight?"

His short nod was all the answer Karai needed. "Perfect. When they do arrive, tell them to meet me at the Bradford dojo right away." She slammed April's tessan on the table, smirking as the old man flinched visibly at the sound. She whirled around, striding gracefully across the freshly swept floor, only pausing just before the entrance to get in one last jab at the defeated chef. "Please remind them to hurry. I get bored easily and I'm sure they wouldn't want their princess to become my new toy."

Without waiting to hear whatever response would have greeted her, Karai took to the rooftops and felt her face brighten with excitement. She couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces when they came after her to save _April_…

Her chest tightened as a feeling similar to grief sliced through the carefully constructed barrier she kept around her heart. "Damn" she cursed silently, hating the fact that deep down in her heart she regretted how things had ended up between her and Leo. A furious blush colored her face a deep crimson as her mind started to consider how much of a relationship she desired. "It's not like I loved him! He was fun," she growled half-heartedly, her mind and heart racing.

After managing to calm her thoughts and slow her heart rate back down, Karai continued on toward where she was to come face to face with her prey. It didn't take her long to arrive, and she went straight to the upper window of the dojo, perfectly blending into the shadows as she stealthily broke in using her tanto knife.

She strode confidently into the center of the dark room, feeling perfectly calm and just the tiniest bit excited. Finding a comfortable chair in the corner, she sat down and crossed her legs as her eyes continued to adjust to the darkness. With a grin on her face, she whipped out her own cellphone and called HQ. "Is the princess there?" she asked the instant she heard a voice pick up on the other line.

She rolled her eyes and bobbed her head up and down as the voice explained all that had happened in the past few minutes and demanding to know where she was. Growing impatient, Karai snapped, "Quiet! I can do whatever I want, remember? Now I need everyone who was out with me earlier to come to the Bradford dojo immediately and to bring the princess."

There was a reluctantly obedient sound that emanated from the voice's lips, but Karai pretended not to hear it. With a mental shrug she ordered, "Make sure you bring the items. It's time for us to set the trap and catch a few turtles for my father." She hung up without waiting to hear if her orders would be obeyed, but she didn't have a doubt they would be. Everyone in the Foot feared her father, and since this was a matter that he held most dear to his heart, Karai knew that only a fool with a death wish would even dare to be the reason this mission fell through. Humming a Japanese lullaby she remembered from her childhood, Karai allowed herself to daydream and counted down the minutes until she saw Leonardo again.

-x-

**I am so sorry for the long wait everyone! I have had no free time these past two weeks and then I had a small issue with writer's block on top of it. I had a really hard time getting into the mindset for Karai for some reason, but I think I'm generally pleased with how this turned out in the end. –bows apologetically repeatedly— I will try not to keep you guys waiting this long anymore. On the bright side you got a little Karai vs April action in here, huh? :) …okay. Well the next chapter will be in one of our turtle's perspective (hint it isn't Leo hahaha). As always let me know if you have any thoughts/ideas/concerns/curiosities/questions (even if they aren't about this story at all lol)! I love you guys! And I'll see all of you next time ;)**

**-Ariane**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey everyone! I hope you guys are ready for a massive chapter (3,000+ words). I will see all of you down below ;)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own TMNT.**

-x-

Raphael's breath came in heavy pants as he and his brothers made their way to Murakami's Noodle Shop. He grinned when he noticed just how loose and smooth his muscles felt after their patrol tonight. He growled with pleasure as his mind went back to the Purple Dragons he had pounded into a dazed submission to "teach" them not to break into an electronics store again. 'They never learn.'

"Leoooo! Are we there yet?" Mikey's voice interrupted his train of thought.

"Not yet, Mikey." Leo's tired and slightly annoyed response came. Raph had to suppress a chuckle at how Fearless' patience was beginning to wear thin.

"According to my calculations, we have about 1.34 blocks and 2 meters until we get there."

Raph rolled his eyes. Of course Donnie had calculated the distance between their current position and Murakami's. After all, April had been the one to text them, reminding them not to get so caught up in "hitting people" that they forgot their monthly visit to their blind friend's business. When Donnie's phone buzzed with the incoming message, the science geek had been so beside himself that he had left himself open to an attack from behind by a Purple Dragon's heavy pipe. It was a good thing that Raph had seen the attack coming and tackled the offender to the ground before Don got hurt.

As much as Raph loved to taunt Don about his obvious feelings for April, he had to admit that seeing his smile filled him with the pride that only an older sibling could hold for their younger brother. Not that he'd ever let his brothers know that. Raph had a reputation to uphold.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't notice Leonardo had stopped suddenly. Plowing ungracefully right into Leo caused the tense leader to stumble forward a few steps with a sharp hiss.

Raph felt the full force of his brother's heated glare and felt both defiance and embarrassment surge through him. "What's the big idea, Fearless?!" he growled, narrowing his eyes as he fought to maintain some amount of dignity.

"We're here." Leo stated calmly, already returning his attention to the noodle shop. Raph wasn't too sure, but he thought he saw the tiniest flash of anxiety in his brother's blue eyes. 'Something's up' he thought, keeping one eye fixed down below and the other eye fixed on his leader.

"Well I'm going," came Mikey's exuberant voice cutting through the tense atmosphere that had settled around them. Before Leo could get a word in edgewise, Mike had already jumped down and was rushing into Murakami's excitedly.

"I'm going too" Donnie exclaimed as he followed suit. Raph could tell by the grin on his face that Don was looking forward to spending some time with April.

Raph glanced at Leo's face, watching as frustration morphed into reluctant acceptance. "We can't leave them on their own, Leo" he said with a slight smirk. Without waiting for a response, Raph jumped down and shortly after he landed he heard Leo's familiar footsteps padding along behind him.

Just as he was about to enter the restaurant Donnie exclaimed, "KARAI HAS APRIL?!"

Raph felt his stomach turn to ice and he heard someone – he wasn't sure if it was he or Leo – suck in a sharp breath. His heart began to pound heavily as he felt his rage begin to flicker to life within him. A deep growl began to rumble in his throat as he shoved his way past his panicking younger brothers to stand right in front of Murakami-san who was seated on a stool.

"How could you?!" he spat angrily at the blind man. "We trusted you! Why would you betray us like this?!" His hands became tight fists as he began to shake violently with his anger, which only rose when he felt his eyes begin to burn with tears. Grabbing Murakami's collar, Raph hoisted the chef, who was protesting and struggling vainly to break free although Raph was too far gone to pay attention, and began preparing to take out his pain on the man whom he had trusted, believed to be a friend. Disgust raced through him as he grumbled to himself, "I knew we could never be friends with humans!"

"Hold it, Raphael!" Leo's voice rang out, containing the familiar authoritative tone that pervaded his voice whenever he was giving an order.

Raph hated that Leo's voice adopted that tone most whenever it was directed at him. He considered going ahead with pummeling the defenseless human, but he stopped when the unwanted memory of the last time Leo had used that tone flashed through his head. He reluctantly set the man back on the stool and turned around with a grumpy "humph!" so he could glare at the wall. 'As you wish, oh Fearless One' he thought bitterly.

He felt Leo's gaze sweep over him and then turn back to a very shaken Murakami-san. In a calm and much friendlier manner, Leo immediately went to work trying to rectify the situation and smoothing things over. Raph tried to ignore most of what was being said. He was certain Leo was blaming him for the outburst and that everything was his fault and blah blah blah. It wasn't until April's name was brought up that he began to tune back in to the conversation.

"So…about April…"

"That girl, Karai, she came by earlier. She said that she had April-chan and to meet her in the Bradford dojo."

"I see. Did Karai say anything else?"

There was a short moment of hesitation and Raph found himself turning around to stare the chef in the face. Finally, Murakami spoke, "She said to hurry otherwise April-chan would become her new toy."

Everyone stiffened at once and all the air left the room in a rush. Raph exchanged worried glances with his brothers. No one was able to speak, but eventually Murakami shuddered and began to apologize profusely for his blindness and utter uselessness. "I am so sorry, Turtle-san. I wish I could do more. If only I could see then I may have been able to keep April-chan from Karai."

Raph flinched as Leo fixed him with a stern glare. Raph knew what that look meant. A slight blush appeared on his face as he began to feel self-conscious and hyper-aware of all his brothers looking at him expectantly. With a hard swallow, Raph bowed and mumbled just loud enough for Murakami to hear, "I'm sorry. I take back everything I said. I thought you had sold us out to Karai. I was wrong."

He lifted his gaze and saw that Leo was wearing an approving smile and gave him a thumbs up. 'I'll get you back for this' he thought determinedly, although he wasn't really angry. He just didn't like that he had screwed up and Leo got an easy chance to look good.

"You all saved my life. I would never betray you." Murakami declared solemnly, seeming to feel better and even had a determined smile on his face.

"Thank you for everything, Murakami-san." Leo said while bowing respectfully.

Donnie had already started to head toward the door, "Can we go save April now?!"

"Of course we are!" Raph declared, his muscles tingling as he began imagining himself punching the daylights out of Karai.

"Ah yeah! Rescue time!" Mikey exclaimed in eager anticipation, rushing over toward Donnie to give the scientist a reassuring pat on the carapace.

Raph noticed that Leo was keeping silent and seemed to regarding all of them thoughtfully. Raph opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by Murakami's desperate warning, "Be careful my friends."

"We always are, Murakami-san," came Leo's immediate and soft reply. Raph watched Leo's gaze linger on each of them as if he was trying to burn the image into his memory forever. Then Leo gave a smile and ordered, "Let's go guys!"

Raph let Leo push past him, uneasiness settling in his gut as he tried to get inside his brother's head. Donnie always mocked him and Mikey for being the "shell-brains" of the group, but the whole thinking thing just wasn't Raph's style. He left that for Leo and Donnie so he could make sure that no enemy laid a hand on them while they were coming up with the master plan. But that didn't mean he was clueless.

As he fell behind his brothers, Raph became increasingly distracted while he tried to figure out the source of his unease. 'He wouldn't be thinking what I think he's thinking…would he?' Raph thought, feeling his stomach seize as the horrid idea began to take root in his mind. His throat tightened, making breathing difficult as he watched Leo move ahead unflinchingly, leading them right to where Karai was. 'NO! He can't! Not again!'

Raph froze when Leo stopped, raising his hand to signal the others to keep quiet and alert. When a few tense seconds ticked by, Leo whispered, "Okay guys. We are most likely walking straight into a trap. Raph, you stay with Mikey. I'll stick with Don. The objective here is to save April and get out. If at all possible we want to avoid a big fight."

"What if we have to face Karai?" Mikey asked, his tone becoming serious.

Leo straightened his shoulders and boldly stated, "I will deal with Karai if we have to."

Raph, Don and Mike exchanged solemn glance with each other before giving Leo a brief nod. Leo gestured with hand signals that he and Don would go in first and Raph and Mike would follow in shortly afterward.

'Always the optimist,' Raph thought sullenly as Leo and Don set out to initiate the first step of Leo's plan. He felt Mikey start poking him in the plastron and growled, "What are you doing?"

"Just trying to get Mr. Grumpy Shell to go back to his normal angry self." A bona fide Mikey-grin plastered across his face, his light blue eyes shining with mischief.

Raph narrowed his eyes at the knucklehead's grinning face, unsure as to whether or not to pound Mikey into the ground for the taunt. He decided against it, but thwacked his brother's carapace in a good-natured way. "You –"

"APRIL!" Donnie's sharp scream burst through the still night, jolting Raph back into reality. Raph met Mikey's gaze full on, seeing his own concern and worry reflected in his baby brother's eyes. In silent agreement, they both charged in without a moment's hesitation.

When Raphael took in the situation around him, his blood began to boil. The first thing he saw was that Leo was alone, facing at least ten Foot plus Karai all by himself. "Where the shell is Donnie?" he grumbled, irritated that Don had apparently forgotten that he was supposed to stay with Leo so that this wouldn't happen.

"D is with that girl over there. Raph, you don't think she's…" Mikey muttered quietly as he pointed over to where Donnie and a familiar red headed girl in yellow shackled to a water pipe were. Only problem was that this girl was covered in injuries and her clothes were ripped to shreds. Almost as if…

Raph felt his heart begin to pound heavily as the fires of rage burned within him. He cast a glance over at where Leo was fighting Karai, both of them moving gracefully as their blades clashed. His hands began to twitch as he reached for his sais. Karai would pay for kidnapping and torturing their sister!

Raph took two steps toward Leo and Karai before the other Foot noticed that he and Mikey were even there. Suddenly Raph found himself staring into the masked faces of ten Foot, all of whom were getting into threatening positions, as if daring Raph to make the first attack. He licked his lips as he growled, "Bring it!"

Then Leo's authoritative voice butted in, "Raphael! No! Stick to the plan!"

Karai sniffed, "Do what your brother says, Raphael. Let the adults handle things over here."

Raph took another angered step toward them, desperately wanting to dish out some pain to get back at the Foot for what they did to April. He stopped when he heard Leo snap, "Raph! Help Donnie and Mikey with April! Now!"

Raph reluctantly turned around, hissing, "I'll pummel you later, Karai." He dashed over to where Donnie and Mikey were frantically trying to use anything they could to unshackle April. Raph rolled their eyes at all the discarded items they had already tried. Rocks, broken tools, sticks and other random objects lay strewn about them. 'They seriously thought blunt objects would get the job done?'

As if Donnie had the ability to hear thoughts, he hissed, "Of course we didn't! But we were seeing if making a temporary chisel would work!"

Raph exchanged a wide-eyed look with Mikey, shrugged, drew one of his sais and muttered, "Use this." He had turned his attention back to where Leo was dueling Karai. Something about the way the Foot were completely ignoring him left a bad taste in his mouth. 'This seems almost…too easy.'

"I got it!" Donnie's excited voice interrupted Raph's thoughts. Don was gathering an unconscious April in his arms, trying to be gentle and not jostle her more than necessary. Upon closer examination April didn't seem to be as injured as they had all feared. But nothing would be certain until they got April back to the lair so Don could check on her.

"Leo! We've got April!" Mikey yelled out, sounding more upbeat than he did a few moments ago when he first saw April chained up.

Raph saw Leo shove Karai back a few feet and heard his brother reply, "Good! Now get out of here!"

Raph noticed that Leo was panting heavily and looking exhausted. He took a step forward and growled, "Not without you, Leo!"

"Your brother is right, Leo." Karai teased with a smirk on her face. "They won't be leaving without you."

Leo's eyes narrowed and he growled, "Karai, I warned you what would happen if you went after my brothers."

Raph started to move forward, wanting to lend his brother a hand. This was turning out almost like that night two weeks ago. If his hunch was right, Leo was going to…! "No!" he whispered, sending up a silent prayer to anyone who may have been listening that he was wrong.

Sure enough, Leo's next words proved that Raph's instincts were right on the money. "Raph, get everyone out of here. I'll buy you as much time as I possibly can."

That damned authoritative tone was back in Leo's voice! Shaking his head stubbornly, Raph argued, "No, Leo! We're not leaving you again!" He felt Mikey and Donnie stand behind and next to him, each giving Leo the same pleading look that they wore two weeks ago.

Leo seemed to wilt just a tiny bit under the combined powers of his brothers' earnest gazes. Raph was thrilled, this meant that Leo would reconsider his stupid self-sacrifice plan and come up with a better one.

While Leo was distracted, Karai seized her chance. Whipping out a blowgun, she aimed it right for the blue-clad warrior.

Raph saw it coming and he yelled, "Leonardo!"

Leo turned back around just in time to see the dart coming straight at him. It hit him square in the chest, just above his plastron and he began to stumble around almost instantly. Raph noticed that his eyes were completely blank before he finally collapsed to the floor in a heap. Raph's stomach dropped as the thought 'Is he dead?' crossed his mind.

Raph was suddenly aware that April was thrust into his arms and Don was yelling something about hurrying and getting out of there and that he was going to check on Leo to make sure that Leo still had a pulse. Raph mumbled a coherent "muh?" as his brain struggled to process the chaos that was surrounding them. Time slowed down as Foot soldiers on all sides were whipping out their own blowguns.

"Raphael! Get Mikey and April out of here! I'll be right behind you!" he vaguely heard Donatello yell out.

Raph jumped when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist, his green eyes huge as saucers as he mumbled, "Mikey?"

"Let's go bro! Donnie will get Leo out! We have to get April out for him!"

Giving his head a shaky nod, Raph instinctively evaded incoming darts on all sides as he followed his baby brother out of the disastrous mess their rescue mission had become. His thoughts were a hazy blur and he tried not to think about how he had abandoned Leo and Donnie in order to ensure their mission was a success. 'This is almost exactly like last time.'

After he and Mikey reached a rooftop the next block over, they stopped, both of them frantically scanning the shadows for their brothers. Raph was counting his heartbeats, and when thirty went by without any sign of either Leo or Don, panic began to set in once again. His mouth became dry and Raph felt a cold sweat break out on his forehead.

Finally Mikey broke the tense silence, "You don't think Karai…do you?"

Raph cringed at the teary note that pervaded his normally cheerful brother's voice. Unable to swallow, Raph forced his thick tongue to form words, "Stay here, Mikey. I'm going to head back and check on them. They probably went the wrong way or something."

"O-okay."

Raph forced his body to move despite how unwilling it was. He desperately wanted to believe that Leo and Don had gone a different direction and were laying low until Karai and the Foot gave up and left. He had to stay strong, at least for Mikey's sake. Of course, his brain was yelling at him, insulting him for being so naïve as to even believe for a moment that his brothers weren't in danger. 'I'm such a moron!'

He stopped when he eventually reached a building adjacent to where he and Mikey had abandoned Leo and Donnie to the Foot. Voices reached his ears and, both startled and curious, Raph crouched down low and crawled to the edge of the rooftop. His heart leapt into his throat when he heard Karai's proud sneer hang in the still air.

"Yes Father. I have successfully captured the turtles. We will bring them to headquarters right away for your inspection."

Raph flinched when he heard what sounded like van doors closing and then the screeching of tires grated on his nerves. "No…" he whispered, despair piercing his chest right near where his heart lay. How was he going to explain this to Mikey? To Master Splinter?

Certain that no one was around, Raph stood, determined to make it up to everyone he had let down. He was the protector. Because of his pointless hesitations, not only had Leo been shot but Don had been captured as well. He searched within himself, seeking the source of his strength. When he found it, he grabbed a tight hold, making a fist and holding it in front of his face as he snarled, "I promise I will bring you both back home if it's the last thing I do! No one will keep me from my brothers! You hear me, Foot Clan?! You'll all pay for this!"

As he turned around, feeling his vow energize his body and mind he growled ominously, "Especially you, Karai!"

-x-

**Well I hope you guys all enjoyed that. So Raph has a few issues mainly because I love how in the new show he panics under extreme pressure and he needs someone less emotionally driven to help bring him back. Now that he doesn't have them, he needs to find it within himself to focus on what really needs to be done so that he can take care of little Mikey. (Although I'm sure a lot of you will be upset with me for making him out to be like this, oh well). I left some things unclear because in another chapter you'll see a different outlook on how this whole "capture" went down. Until then you all can theorize and I look forward to reading your thoughts on the whole thing. What do you think will happen to Leo and Don? What do you think happened to April? Hahahaha! I love you guys and I'll see you all next time!**

**-Ariane**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I vaguely reference the movie Turtles Forever in this chapter. And this is where we start getting into some…well I'll just let you read and find out. I hope you guys enjoy! And I'll see you all at the end :)**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own TMNT.**

-x-

Saki paced his room, his muscles twitching and quivering with nervous excitement. Karai had just reported that she was indeed successful in capturing his worst enemies. A malicious grin formed on his thin lips as he pondered what exactly that meant. "Finally," he began in a low whisper, "I can fulfill my destiny by destroying these cursed _freaks_."

He had been vaguely aware that the girl April was in the Foot's care for a short time. But he had paid her no mind. His subordinates however had shown great interest in the fiery redhead, and he let them do whatever they pleased. As long as he had his fun with the turtles, he didn't care who suffered. And if the girl's terrified screams were any indicator, she was indeed suffering.

A small shudder made its way down his spine and Saki had to wonder if this was due to guilt for not helping the poor girl or if it was due to the excitement that continued to build within his body. He allowed himself to ponder each possibility carefully, but ultimately decided it was the excitement. After all why should he feel guilty over things that were being done to one of his enemies? It didn't matter that he had immediately thought the screams were coming from his daughter, or that they reminded him of the way his beloved Tang Shen had cried out just before her unfortunate demise.

He grimaced as his thoughts became far too pensive for his liking. He was a ruthless leader and a formidable warrior, not some weak man that quailed before flashbacks and memories. With an irritated snort, he approached his bed and forced himself to relax and regain his calm composure. As he closed his eyes, he felt the darkness claim him. Unlike how he had done in the past, he allowed it to swallow him. He had grown to accept these visions as a testament to the crimes the turtles had done and he would make sure that they indeed paid for their transgressions.

When he opened his eyes, he found that this time he was an outside observer in a weirdly grayscale world. He was cautiously curious of this change. Previously he would find himself in the body of an alternate skin that was at once both frightening and familiar to him. He only considered it for the briefest moment before deciding that he needed to find out what sins the turtles had committed against his fallen brethren.

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. Or more accurately, he found what looked to be a huge version of himself fighting what looked to be…twelve turtles?! "What?" he gasped in surprise, "There are twelve of them?" It looked like they were surrounded by that pathetic version of himself, that damned rat, and a strange girl who Saki thought he should recognize but he couldn't place her. And all of them were standing behind a huge robot that held a Kraang inside it.

His eyes narrowed as he refocused his attentions on the twelve turtles. He had seen eight of them before in previous visions, but there were four that looked like they truly belonged in this black and white world. What continued to surprise him was how the turtles all interacted as if they knew each other. "They are all in cahoots! That explains everything," He growled bitterly, furious at how his enemies had cheated him all year of a fair fight. 'And _they_ claimed that they were honorable soldiers. I'll teach them a thing or two about _real_ honor.'

He woke up instantly, tightening his hands into fists as he launched himself from where he lay. Pacing his room, his crazed mind shuffled through the facts he had just acquired. "So they think they can contact the other turtles and get away with it, do they? I'll make them tell me exactly where they are! Then I'll destroy all of them and wipe these pests off the map!" After all, that was the only way he could imagine how these reptiles had foiled all his plans over and over again for the past year. Every single time they had somehow managed to wreck his careful strategies they had been cheating! A deep growl rumbled from within the depths of his chest. He'd make them pay when they arrived.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head as he remembered an invention he had ordered his Research & Development team to create. Licking his lips, he stormed out of his room and made his way over to the R&D lab, his anticipation building with each step.

When he entered the lab, his scientists immediately stopped what they were doing and directed their attention to their disheveled leader. They all bowed and promptly greeted him, "How wonderful of you to stop by Master Shredder."

Saki strode over to his lead scientist, ignoring the nervous way the man shifted his weight on the balls of his feet. "Tell me what progress have you made with the devices," he demanded gruffly.

"Well," the scientist began, "we have completely constructed two of them. But the test trials have not been so successful. In our volunteers it only created the hive mentality 50% of the time but registered no activity the other 50%."

A sour expression crept onto Saki's face as the information sunk in. "I'm disappointed, Richard. I expected more out of you." His gaze turned cold and he saw the man swallow nervously.

"I am sorry, Master Shredder. I will not fail you again."

"Make sure you do not, Richard."

Saki whirled around, disappointment coming off of him in waves. These devices he had commissioned were the result of constantly seeing his men defeated by mutants. His theory was that if he could have them all move as one, like the turtles seemed to be able to do instinctively on some level, then they would stand a better chance. Especially if _he_ was at the controls, then he knew that those abominations wouldn't be able to put up a fight.

As soon as he walked out of the lab, he saw Karai heading straight toward him. A grin formed on his lips. He knew that the turtles were finally here. Captured. Held prisoner for his own enjoyment. "Karai, I see you have returned."

Karai bowed her head and stated, "Yes, Father."

"You have brought the turtles, I presume?"

"Yes, Father. Leonardo and Donatello are being transported from the van to their cell as we speak."

Saki paused, his eyes narrowing into slits as he pressed, "Only two? I thought I sent you to capture four."

He saw Karai flinch as she hurriedly responded, "Yes, Father. But Raphael and Michelangelo managed to escape with April."

Saki clenched his fist as the blades slid out from his gauntlet. He approached the girl before him, his tone becoming dark as he growled, "I warned you that failure comes with a stiff penalty, child."

Karai visibly swallowed, fixed Saki with a solemn stare and whispered, "Even for your daughter?"

Saki stopped, frozen where he was as Karai's words echoed in his brain. He withdrew the blades back into his gauntlet as horror began to fill him. He had almost…! No. He didn't want to believe it. He refused to. He spun around, facing the other direction. Maybe if he didn't look at her sad face he could pretend it never happened.

An uneasy silence settled over the pair, filling the hallway with a tense energy that seemed to serve as a warning to everyone else in the area to hurriedly walk away in the opposite direction. After what seemed to be an eternity, Karai managed to find her voice, "Would you like me to escort you to where they are being held, Father?"

"Yes!" Saki replied a bit too enthusiastically.

After a respectful bow, Karai turned and led the way. While he followed her, Saki mentally berated himself. He had never threatened his daughter's wellbeing like that before. Sure, he had lost his patience with her independence streak and had disciplined her accordingly. But never had the hidden blades in his gauntlet made an appearance. A shudder passed through him as he imagined what _could_ have happened had Karai not been so bold as to question him.

So lost in thought, he hardly noticed when Karai came to a stop in front of a small room with a door that contained a tiny window to allow someone to peer inside. Saki returned to full awareness when Karai backed away, her head bowed and muttered, "We have arrived, Father."

Regret stabbed him in the heart as he heard the defeated tone that betrayed Karai's true feelings. Drawing in a deep breath, he chose to ignore it and peered through the window to see his prize first-hand.

Satisfaction welled up from the depths of his soul as he took in the unconscious forms that were shackled to the walls and floor. They had been stripped of their weapons and had only their masks. It was a common courtesy and tradition not to remove the mask of an enemy ninja, but Saki never was one for tradition. He'd fix that soon enough. His eye glinted maliciously as a brilliant plan began to take form in his mind.

Stepping away from the window, he turned his attention back on his daughter. "Fetch Richard and tell him to bring the devices. We just happen to have the right amount of perfect test subjects."

With a respectful bow, Karai uttered, "Yes, Father," and strode away.

Saki watched her go in silence. He knew that she'd get over it eventually. He had raised her and taught her to be stronger than most other women. With that, he turned his attention back to the sleeping prisoners.

He stealthily entered the room, stealthily opening the door so as to not wake his guest. 'After all,' he thought in amusement, 'it's rude.' He continued forward until he stood right in front of the blue one. He towered over the still turtle, his shadow covering the freak like a blanket. He dimly remembered that this one was called Leonardo, but he didn't really care. They were abominations. Mutants. _Freaks!_ They had no rights as far as he was concerned. Especially since they were his sworn enemies.

As silent as a snake, Saki removed the blue mask from his prisoner. The turtle seemed vaguely aware that something was "off" but the effect of the tranquilizer that held him under was still too strong. Saki smirked as he saw the faintest twitch, but nothing more. "Pathetic," he spat at the sword-wielder, clutching the mask tightly in his fist.

Saki turned to face the purple one and contemplated unmasking this one as well. He decided against it. Seeing his companion dishonored would be more than enough for this one to behold. After all, it wasn't so much the purple one he had a grudge against. He had hoped that the red one was Donatello, but alas he was not so lucky. The blue and red one had gotten in the way too many times.

As he left the room and closed the door behind him, he saw that Karai was on her way back with Richard who was carrying two devices that looked like harnesses. "Perfect timing, Karai."

Karai paused just before reaching Saki and her gaze was fixed on the blue cloth that he held tightly in his fist. A look of morbid understanding settled upon her features and as she stepped aside, she announced, "I have brought Richard, Father."

Richard's gaze shifted between Saki and Karai nervously before he finally spoke, "Master Shredder. These are the devices you asked for." He placed the harness-like contraptions on the ground before Saki and quickly backed away to allow Saki to inspect them.

Saki circled the contraptions curiously, his gaze roving over each individual wire and strap. "Explain how it works, Richard."

"There is a chip inside the device that receives signals from a computer via wireless communication. The device then sends these signals through the millimeter sized 'teeth' it has into the subject's nervous system and will cause the individual to perform whatever motion the computer commanded."

Saki regarded the devices thoughtfully and then ordered, "I want you to place these on our guests. It's time to see if they can work better on mutants than on humans."

"Very well, Master Shredder."

With that, Richard gathered up the devices and slipped inside the room. Saki doubted that the scientist ever thought he would be installing them onto turtles, but he had no doubt that Richard would pull it off. No one had the guts to fail around here.

"Father, may I ask what you plan to do with Leonardo's mask?"

Alarmed at the question, Saki turned on his daughter, his face flushing with anger. "No you may not, Karai!"

Her gaze dropped to the floor, and Saki felt regret and a twinge of guilt settle in his stomach. Drawing in a deep breath, he growled bitterly, "He'll get it back. I don't plan on keeping this ratty old piece of trash."

"Very well, Father. I was just curious," came her clipped response.

"I'm going to go back to the lab. Wait here and make sure Richard doesn't fail to complete his task. When the prisoners have awakened, come get me and then you will be dismissed."

"Yes, Father."

Saki began to walk back to the lab, still clutching the fabric tightly as if his life depended on it. When did reach his destination, he walked right over to where another scientist, Paul, was performing some chemical experiment. Saki decided to ignore the fact that Paul didn't properly greet him the instant he approached. He had learned the hard way not to startle the man when an experiment was being performed.

After whatever Paul was creating in a flask became a bright yellow solution, Paul acknowledged Saki's presence. "Master Shredder. What can I do for you today? It's not often that you frequent our humble laboratory so many times in an hour."

Saki's eyes narrowed. Paul's tone was slimy and his voice had a bit of a whiny pitch to it, giving him the impression that this man was a human snake. He never liked Paul, but no one else seemed to thrive in these kinds of work conditions, so he had to keep him around. "I need to soak this" he revealed the blue bandana "in a chemical that will cause burns, but won't kill or cause the subject to go blind."

Paul grinned in a sick way, nearly purring with some deranged sense of delight, "I see the rumors are true, Master Shredder. You have finally captured the turtles. My cousin John will be most pleased. He has been rooting for you all along. Not to say I haven't, but I'm more skeptical."

Irritation pricked at Saki, tempting him to just kill the scientist but he restrained himself. "Do you know of a chemical or not?"

"Hmm…well I know of several that can cause burns, but most of them will also result in blindness if they get into the eye. Sodium hydroxide will probably do what you want if it's in the proper concentration."

"Mix it up for me then."

"Very well, Master Shredder. I'll get to it right away."

Saki waited impatiently as the scientist went to work creating the mixture. He stared at the cloth in his hands and grinned darkly as he thought, 'I hope you are sleeping well, _turtle,_ because soon enough not even that will help you escape from me.'

-x-

**I want to give a quick shout out to DarkUnderworld who provided a bit of inspiration for this chapter. Her story "Cardinal Points" is really good and I highly suggest you guys read it if you don't already. Another quick shout-out to SleepingSeeker for allowing me to bounce ideas off on her :) What do you guys think of my scientists? What do you think about the Shredder's devices? Or about how he wants to give poor Leo chemical burns around the eyes using his own mask? …I'd apologize for that but I think I'm in shock. Lol. Anyway, I look forward to hearing from you guys! I love you all!**

**-Ariane**

**P.S. It'll probably be a while before I post chapter 6. School is picking back up as we approach the end of the semester and it's starting to get really crazy. But I promise to post it as soon as I can :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! So after several papers and college graduation, I am back with a whole new chapter for A Madman's Revenge! :D I am so sorry about the wait but I had so many real life things to do that I just needed to focus on so that I could go home. There's quite a bit of dialogue in this chapter but ultimately I'm pleased with the outcome. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this :)**

**Disclaimer: I still do not own TMNT. (Probably a good thing…)**

-x-

Leonardo slowly felt himself return to consciousness, his muscles twitching as whatever sedatives had been keeping him still finally worked their way out of his system. Yawning loudly, he vaguely noticed that his throat was dry and it felt sore when he tried to swallow. Still in a half-awake state of consciousness, he muttered, "Need water."

His eyes still closed, he didn't need to open them until he reached his bedroom door at least. It was part of how he trained himself to be able to maneuver in complete darkness. He'd keep his eyes closed and walk around his room and even sometimes the dojo or rest of the lair. At first he would bump into things, much to Sensei's and Donnie's chagrin because he'd either break something or hurt someone (usually himself). But eventually he got to the point where he could do it in his room and dojo. The rest of the lair was a hit or miss because success was usually influenced by his brother's antics.

When he tried to move this time, he found his progress immediately halted by some form of restraint. Growing irritated at being caught in one of Mikey's pranks, he growled, "Michelangelo! I'm going to count to three. If you don't untie me by then, I'll let Raph have his way with you." He swore he could almost hear his baby brother's chuckle when he silently counted down in his head. '3…2…1…That's time!'

He opened his eyes, expecting to see the familiar walls and ceiling of home. Instead, he found himself surrounded by a pristine whiteness that assaulted his still adjusting eyes. Blinking repeatedly, Leo's vision began to clear and a sense of dread settled in his stomach. 'Where am I? This isn't home. It's too bright. Where is every – '

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he spotted a familiar figure to his right strung up in chains. 'Donnie? No… No! This has to be a dream. This isn't real. C'mon Leo! WAKE UP!' Biting down on his lip, he let the sharp pain center him as he tasted the bitter and metallic blood that ran across his tongue. When he opened his eyes and found that he was still in the unfamiliarity, disappointment and reluctant acceptance filled him.

A small smirk formed on his face as he thought, 'Now I can say that I've officially been held prisoner. Just like Captain Ryan has.' For some small reason, the vague similarity gave him just the tiniest bit of courage. He let out a short laugh as he noticed that his situation was, even down to the way he was currently restrained, similar to the time the Aratrichons had captured his childhood hero before Captain Ryan boldly made his escape.

In that episode, Captain Ryan had managed to pull hard enough on the chains keeping his arms bound to the wall behind him. The metal the Aratrichons used were not as strong as steel, and the Captain had no trouble breaking free. An idea formed in Leo's head as he glanced at his arms that were elevated so they were level with his shoulders. Shrugging them, he decided that he might as well give it a shot.

A strange harness like contraption did make things rather interesting for him as he began focusing his strength in his arms. It was almost like the device could feed off of his energy, because no matter how much his muscles tensed in readiness he couldn't help but feel weak. At best his attempts to break the chains, which he could've sworn were of some metal that was stronger than steel for all the good his effort did him, were like that of a small child trying to get back a toy from a much taller bully. It was hopeless.

Sighing, he drooped his head onto his plastron in thought. As he began to mull over the earlier events, he realized that it was odd that his brother hadn't stirred yet. Donatello was a notoriously light sleeper, even more so than Master Splinter who seemed to be able to pull out of a meditative trance if he even caught a hushed whisper that promised trouble. Leo's attempts to pull free from the chains hadn't been so completely ineffective that they hadn't produced more than enough noise to wake his brother.

In earlier years, Leo had often used this to his advantage when it came to perfecting the stealth technique. Or as Leo called it: "Stealth Mode." Donnie had a habit of falling asleep in his lab, something he continues to do, but the scientist would always sleep with a pencil in his left hand. It took Leo more than four years of training to finally be able to sneak up on his sleeping brother, take the pencil and leave the lab without waking him. That was the day that Leo decided he had perfected the art of stealth and he remembered feeling like he had accomplished the greatest success he'd ever manage.

Under normal circumstances, Leo knew that Donnie would've woken up by now. And that worried him. The last thing he remembered was that he was offering to stay behind to buy time for his brothers to get April back home safely, and then Karai... "Did she drug us?" he wondered out loud. His head throbbed as he tried to remember exactly what happened that night. Although it wasn't clear and only came back in pieces, he was able to start piecing together what had happened earlier.

He remembered going to Murakami's for their regular visit. He remembered finding a distraught chef. He remembered going to the Bradford dojo. He remembered demanding that Karai return April to them unharmed. He remembered seeing April, his _sister_, in less than perfect condition. He remembered Donnie making a break for her, but he was surrounded by the Foot Clan. He remembered fighting Karai as she kept him separated from his brothers. And that was it.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening pulled him out of his thoughts and he narrowed his eyes warily when he spotted a familiar kunoichi approaching him. Trying to ignore the way his heart skipped, he spoke harshly, "What do you want, Karai?"

Karai hardly acknowledged Leo's question, preferring to stare at him in silence. A flicker of some emotion ran across her face before it was almost immediately concealed, giving her the expression of someone assigned a bothersome task. After having regarded him silently, she finally spoke, "You look different without your mask."

Leo blinked at her a few times before asking, "I'm sorry?"

Karai strode forward and leaned toward him, whispering, "Your mask. Are you telling me you haven't noticed? Some ninja you are."

He pondered that for a moment, letting her hint sink in. Now that she mentioned it, the area around his eyes felt very exposed. Leo's blue eyes hardened as he glared directly into hers, "What'd you do with it?" A long time ago, Sensei had told him that the mask symbolized honor. That's why ninja only unmasks themselves, it was a sign of disrespect for it to be done by another without permission.

For a brief moment, hurt flashed through her eyes and she forced out, "What makes you think I have anything to do with it?"

"Because I know you," Leo said without hesitation.

Karai flinched backward, her face unreadable as she stared at him with cold brown eyes. He met her gaze, keeping wary in case she struck while he was defenseless. He hated feeling this vulnerable. And he hated that she had to see him like this. Beaten. Disgraced.

"Leo? Where...?" a small voice suddenly broke the uneasy silence.

Forgetting all about Karai, Leo instantly turned toward his brother and began pouring out words as relief flowed through him, "Don! Oh thank goodness. Are you alright? You don't look like you've been hurt too badly. I -"

"I see Donnie is awake too." Karai interrupted stiffly, bringing Leo's and Donnie's attention directly toward her.

Donnie could only blink blearily as Leo demanded, "What happens now?"

Karai flicked her hair as her trademark smirk made its first appearance of the conversation, "It means I must report to my father. He has something...special in mind for the both of you."

Leo stared at her intently. He didn't like the sound of that. Anything that Shredder had planned for him and his brother would definitely not be pleasant. But he kept an indifferent expression. His pride refused to allow her to see just how much guilt and dread was settling in the pit of his stomach. Especially not her.

Just as she reached the door Karai spoke in a voice so quiet that Leo had to strain his ears to listen. "I had nothing to do with it." And then she left, leaving more questions than answers. Especially from Donatello.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," came his immediate response.

"What's the plan?"

"I don't know yet," he responded without a second thought.

"Do you think we're going to be okay?"

"I don't know." He was starting to feel exasperated with all the questions.

"Do you think April is going to be okay?" Donnie was starting to sound suspicious.

Leo hesitated for a moment before answering, "Of course she is."

"Leonardo!" Donnie snapped harshly.

"What?" Leo turned his attention away from the door he had been staring at since Karai left.

"You are a horrible liar, you know that?"

Leo grinned, "You're just too smart to see through them."

Donnie didn't seem to buy it as he spoke flatly, "Whatever you say, Leo."

A small moment of silence passed between them before Donnie sighed, "Answer me honestly, Leo. Do you really think April will be alright? I mean, you don't think that she...do you?"

Leo's blood began to boil as what Donnie was insinuating sank in. His tone was stiff as he replied, "I'm sure she'll be alright, Don. Raph and Mike wouldn't have let anything happen to her. And she's with Sensei. Besides that, she's a part of our family now. In case you haven't noticed, we are a family of ninja." Leo hoped that he sounded more convincing to Donnie than he sounded to himself because deep down, Leo wasn't all that sure April would be alright.

After all, this time April had been held captive by their human enemies. The Foot. It was completely different from when she was being held by the Kraang. And Leo bit his tongue when he considered the differences between humans and Kraang. Whereas the Kraang had her hooked up to a variety of machines and pipes, it was apparent that the Foot did other things to her. While the Kraang certainly weren't gracious hosts, they never marked her like the way she was when they saw her. All bruised and her clothing...it wasn't right and it reminded Leo of some of the many stories Sensei had told them when they were younger.

These stories involved everything from "humans will kidnap you" to "humans will experiment on you". At the time, Leo hadn't put much more consideration into those lessons besides chastising Mikey for attempting to go out and meet a real-life human in the middle of the night. After all, they were only stories. But now that he was the leader, he understood just what Master Splinter had meant. Just about everyone they had met since going topside had wanted a piece of them. He hated to let himself think about what would happen if he had failed to keep his brothers safe. He chastised himself for his naivety now. 'I failed my brothers. I have to think of something. Of some way to make this right. I _have_ to protect Donnie.'

In a flash, an idea came to him that made his muscles tense in anticipation. He knew what he had to do. He'd have to keep Shredder's attention on him at all times. He'd have to buy enough time for Raph and Mikey to come save them. Leo began mentally preparing himself for the challenges he knew would be right ahead.

He was startled when a tingling sensation began in the back of his neck. With a deep breath, Leo understood somehow that Shredder would make his appearance soon. "Donatello," he heard his voice take on the authoritative tone that Mikey loved to call his 'leader voice', "I'm going to make sure Shredder doesn't lay a hand on you."

"Leo - "

"Whatever happens, do not say a word or interfere."

"But - "

"Well, _turtles_. I hope I didn't interrupt anything." Shredder's menacing voice cut Donnie's protest off before he could finish.

Leo began to shiver as he felt the Shredder's cold dark stare focus on him. 'Stop shaking! Stop shaking! Stop shaking!' He yelled at himself, determined to get his fear back under control. He refused to give Shredder the pleasure of seeing him falter. He glanced over at Donnie's unsure expression, and found that his own fears were reflected in Donnie's brown eyes. 'I promised. I won't let Shredder lay a hand on my brother." He gave Shredder a smirk as he felt his courage return to him, which didn't seem to please the Head of the Foot Clan.

Shredder's eyes narrowed as he approached Leo, "Well _Blue_. I'm glad to see that you haven't lost your spirit."

Leo's heart raced when the Shredder leaned in to him, his nose just inches away from Leo's face. He suppressed a shudder that threatened to ripple its way through him. He held his tongue however. There was no reason to start any trouble since his plan to hold Shredder's attention was working for now.

"So where are the others?" Shredder asked curiously.

Leo's eyes narrowed the slightest bit, but otherwise he remained stoic. At least he appeared to be for those in the outside world. On the inside, his heart pounded heavily. Shredder was too close. Way too close.

"Answer the question, _freak_! Where are the others?!"

Out of the corner of Leo's eye he spotted Donnie watching him anxiously. While trying to reassure his brother through silent cues, Leo suddenly felt the hands grab him by the chin and he was forced to look into Shredder's face. He had never been this close to him before, and everything about it bothered him.

Shredder spat, "I won't tolerate being ignored by an abomination such as you! Now answer the question! Or I'll make you talk! And trust me when I say you won't like it."

Leo stared directly into Shredder's eyes, weighing the pros and cons of each choice carefully. On the one hand, if he remained silent he could potentially be putting Donnie's life in danger. If he spoke, then he could be putting the rest of his family in peril. Neither option seemed all that appealing, especially if he considered the possibility that Shredder wouldn't spare Donnie if he spoke. There was only one option. Make sure to seem like the bigger problem without answering Shredder's question. "Try me," he teased.

Much to Leo's surprise, Shredder grinned back at him and whispered, "Oh don't worry. I plan to."

Leo watched in wonder as Shredder withdrew a remote and…his mask? Anger settled in Leo's belly as he considered the sight before him. 'Karai gave it to him?! Like I was a trophy?! Something to be won?' He had never felt so betrayed before. The only time he could think of that came close was when they broke into the Worldwide Genome Project and she created the mutant Justin only to leave them to clean up after her.

Shredder's grin grew wider as Leo continued to stare at him in bewilderment. "I'm glad you recognize this" he held the blue cloth with Karai's tanto knife, waving it in front of Leo's face like a flag.

Leo glanced at the mask then back at Shredder's face and smirked, "I've been wondering where that was." He wasn't entirely sure, but something about the way the Shredder refrained from touching it disturbed him. The color was slightly off too. He didn't think his mask was always that particularly darker shade of blue.

"I am feeling generous, _turtle_. I will return this to you."

Leo stared at him in silence. This was unusual. A part of him was relieved that he'd have his mask back, but an even larger part of him was screaming that it was a trap. He never thought he'd be torn when it came to his mask that was as much a part of him as his beloved katana. He yearned for the familiar touch of fabric against his skin. But this whole situation felt off.

Apparently, Leo's silence was taken as acceptance because the Shredder instantly brought the mask closer to him. To Leo, it seemed like the Shredder himself was going to put it on him. Alarms went off in Leo's mind and his ninja instincts took over. He should definitely NOT allow this at any cost. His eyes glazed and he snapped at the Shredder's hand, barely missing as the man's reflexes saved him while both the cloth and tanto knife fell to the floor.

A slap across the cheek brought Leo back from the 'ninja high' and he found himself the center of attention. While he was thrilled that Shredder was ignoring Donnie for the most part, he wasn't so sure he enjoyed the murderous look that the armored man was giving him. His cheek stung, but that wasn't as big of a deal to him. He quickly glanced at Donnie who, judging from the look in his brown eyes, seemed to be at war with himself.

'Don't say a word' Leo mouthed, trying to help Donnie calm down by giving him an order to follow. It seemed to help his brother somewhat, but it didn't change the fact that his brother was at his limit of obedience. Leo was suddenly grateful that it wasn't Raph or Mikey who were in here with him. Both of them had the hardest time following Leo's orders, but Leo could almost always count on Donnie to follow his lead.

"YOU!" The Shredder's angry shout brought Leo's attention from his brother back to the obviously enraged Foot Master. Leo watched Shredder grab the remote and point it directly toward him as his deep voice growled, "You forget yourself, _freak_! No one gets away with attempting to bite the hand of Oroku Saki! NO ONE! Especially not an abomination like _you_!"

Leo swallowed nervously. This was definitely not good. He couldn't help his ninja instincts. They were too ingrained into him. They were just reflexive responses that were drilled into his head for as long as he could remember by his sensei. Since his arms were otherwise unavailable, he only had one way to defend himself. "Well, if you didn't want to be bitten you should've kept your hands away from me," he snapped.

An eerie calm settled over them. Shredder's face even mellowed out some, although Leo could still feel the fire that burned in his gaze. Leo blinked a few times as he realized he said that out loud. Dread settled into the pit of his stomach as the silence filled the room. 'Uh oh' was all he could think when the Shredder grinned, and pushed a button on the remote.

At once, a tingling sensation crept through him, starting from the tips of his fingers and toes before moving inward. Leo's eyes widened in alarm as it became more and more intense as the sensations converged in his torso. He had never experienced anything like this before, and at best the only way he could think to describe it was as if his entire body had fallen asleep and was being forced to wake up all at once.

His thoughts scrambled, Leo figured it must have something to do with the way the harness was working. But he couldn't be sure because it was difficult to think about anything except for the way his nerves were bombarding his brain with signals. He didn't know a lot about the way the nervous system worked, that was more Donnie's deal, but he knew enough to understand that the brain can only handle so many stimuli before it shuts down the less important functions. This bothered him immensely, and Leo tried to calm himself with deep breaths, but it didn't stop the panic that threatened to pull him under.

"What are you doing to him?!" Donnie's voice was filled with distress, and Leo cursed himself for losing his composure.

Shredder's gaze stayed fixed on Leo as he replied, "I'm going to teach him a lesson. No one refuses my generosity and gets away with it!"

Donnie scoffed, "What generosity? You've done nothing but –"

"Silence Donatello!" Leo interrupted his brother before Donnie could say anything that could bring him into the line of fire. He found that by mentally chanting he could maintain his level of focus even when his brain had trouble finding something more important than the sensory overload. 'Just keep Donnie safe. Keep him safe. Keep my little brother safe.'

"I see you have regained your tongue. How amusing. My men weren't able to speak for nearly ten minutes when I activated the devices on them. They would sputter for a while but when they regained their speech they'd say they were too overwhelmed by the needles stimulating their nerves to force words. And here you are able to speak within five minutes. Is it because you're a freak? Or is it because of your comrade?" Shredder mused darkly.

Leo didn't know how to answer that, not that he particularly wanted to. The tingling was dying down somewhat, but it was still hard to focus on anything else. He just knew that if he hadn't interrupted Donnie, then he would be in danger.

Without waiting for an answer, Shredder gestured toward the abandoned cloth on the floor, grinning sadistically as he commented, "If you don't want my hands anywhere near you, then you should put your own mask on."

If Leo had ominous feelings about the mask before, then they were multiplied here. This was just as wrong as the Shredder putting the mask on him. It didn't make sense, but he was decidedly against being reunited with the cloth. "No thank you. I appreciate the offer but –"

Leo stopped short when he realized the Shredder was freeing his arms. This was definitely strange, but if their captor was going to let them go, then Leo had an obligation to get his brother out. He'd have to move quickly. Shredder wasn't going to leave himself open for very long. 'I'll have to go for a knockout right off the bat. And hope that he isn't expecting it.' Leo bided his time until the Shredder was almost done with his second arm and he braced himself for what he would have to do. 'In 3…2…1…NOW!'

But nothing happened. Leo was dumbfounded. Why weren't his arms responding to him? 'C'mon arms! Move! This chance! No!' He stared at his arms, completely beside himself with despair. He failed, but he didn't know how. Then he heard a sinister laugh erupt from his enemy.

"Revel in your despair, _mutant_. Do you want to know just why your arms aren't working? Do you think I'm a fool? That'd I'd let the source of my misery and torment go free? Hah! You are at my complete mercy. See this?" he moved the remote back and forth in front of Leo, "This lets me control every muscle in your body. You can't do anything unless I allow it."

Leo didn't like the sound of that. His gaze rested on the cloth that lay in front of him and his stomach dropped to the floor. If what Shredder said was true, then Leo wouldn't be able to resist Shredder's desire for him to wear the mask, no matter how much Leo's instincts warned him.

The Shredder held the remote thoughtfully, as if pondering what buttons to press, before he growled, "However, I have since found something infinitely more entertaining than using this device. Here's the deal, _turtle_. Either you put the mask on willingly, or I will force you to kill your companion over there."

"You're bluffing!" Donnie shouted. "If you could force him to do anything you would just force him to put the mask on!" Leo met Donnie's frantic gaze and was taken aback by the pleading note in his voice, "Don't do it, Leo. It's a trap. You know it is. There has to be a way for you to fight against whatever control the harness imposes. That's why he's using me as leverage. You can fight it, Leo. I know you can!"

Leo hesitated. He knew it was a trap, but could he allow himself to think that Shredder, their father's sworn enemy, was only bluffing about the device? That there was a flaw to the design? That it doesn't work all the time? That there is a way to resist it? He couldn't be so sure. He had felt for himself the powerlessness in his muscles when he tried to swing at Shredder's face. Could he really risk his brother's safety on a chance? He knew the answer to that question before he considered it.

Clenching his fist, Leo muttered, "Very well, Shredder." He could feel his brother's disappointed gaze, but he ignored it. He could only hope Donnie would be able to forgive him for this one day.

Shredder grinned happily, and pressed a few buttons on the remote. "Just so you are aware, if you even so much as think of resisting the device's compulsion, it is set to give you a little incentive to behave. Now go ahead, you should be able to move your hands now," his dark voice was almost like a purr.

Leo breathed in deeply, closing his eyes as he let the harness control his movements. He fell into a kneeling position and he felt himself reach for the cloth in front of him, shoving the tanto knife aside. Fear gripped him with its icy claws just before he made contact with his mask. 'Do it for Donnie! Don't push Shredder! You promised to protect him, didn't you? You gave your word Shredder wouldn't lay a hand on him!'

Leo forced himself to grab the mask. He was both surprised and unimpressed when he felt the slightly damp cloth in his hands. He wasn't exactly expecting the material to irritate the skin on his fingers the way it was, but he had been expecting something to go awry. He just wished that it didn't have to be so symbolic. 'He must want me to realize that I have no dignity here.'

Drawing in a deep breath for strength, Leo exhaled sharply the instant he tied the cloth around his face. Tears formed in his eyes as he became aware of the burning agony that overwhelmed him. Panting, he fell forward, clenching his fists repeatedly as he desperately wanted to paw at his face. 'Damned harness!' he thought bitterly as he realized he was currently unable to move his arms freely. 'This is why I hate technology!'

While lying on the floor, Leo vaguely noticed that Shredder had approached him and the scene now had the appearance of a beaten dog groveling at its master's feet. Disgusted, Leo mentally prayed that his brother was not watching. It was bad enough that Donnie had to watch him put on the mask, but he didn't want his brother to see him groveling at the feet of their captor too.

When Shredder knelt down beside him, Leo's heart leaped to his chest. Shame burned him as the Shredder's hand fiddled with his mask. At every minute shift, a new wave of pain coursed through him and Leo's eyes threatened to spill over. Fortunately, Leo had enough stubborn pride not to allow this man to see him shed tears but it didn't change the fact Leo was helpless like this. Stuck laying on his plastron and unable to defend himself, Leo had no choice but to lay there while the Shredder tormented him in this way.

Suddenly, the Shredder removed his hand from his mask and Leo let out a relieved sigh. His eyes were still stinging, but he knew that he'd eventually not feel it anymore. When he heard the familiar sound of the Shredder's hidden blade sliding out of his gauntlet he tried to override whatever 'commands' were keeping him still, but to his dismay he found himself succumbing to shock. 'That's…just…great…' he thought blearily.

"Stop! Don't hurt him anymore," Donnie cried out from his restraints.

"What did you just say, _purple_? Do you think you are in any position to be making demands of me? I have taken your leader. I gave him the choice to save himself or to save you because I'm a kind man. He chose to save you because, obviously, you aren't as strong as he is. I can respect that. But if you start thinking that because I've let you be that you are free to speak as you wish," Shredder took a threatening step toward Donnie, "then you are sorely mistaken."

"_You _are a 'kind' man?" Donnie asked quizzically. He grinned sardonically as he spat, "Hah! You've been anything but! You're a coward!"

"You try my patience, purple," Shredder muttered darkly.

"You hurt my brother! And no one gets away with that!"

"YOU would preach to ME about inflicting pain?!" Shredder roared and thundered angrily toward Donnie, who seemed surprised at this sudden turn of events.

Leo watched the unfolding scene with wide eyes, cursing himself for not being able to rush in and defend his brother. He had to think of something quickly or else Donnie would… Forcing back the black tide, Leo growled, "Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on my brother, Oroku Saki!"

When Shredder turned back to face him, Leo noticed that the madman was wearing a crazed expression on his face. His protective instincts blazing brightly, Leo continued, "You got what you wanted. Now let him go."

After a few moments, Shredder unleashed a booming laugh that sent chills down Leo's spine. "I haven't yet, _blue_. Trust me on that. I want so much more than you can possibly imagine. This was just the first step. But that will have to wait for later. I'll come back tomorrow to play with you turtles. For now I'll just leave you both right where you are."

Leo watched warily as the Shredder strode back to where the remote lay on the floor beside the tanto knife and picked both objects up. "Will you behave yourself, blue? Or do I need to use this?" Then gesturing to Donnie he continued, "You wouldn't make me threaten your companion again, would you?"

Leo narrowed his eyes in response, too tired to speak. He was so exhausted, and the darkness was closing in on him again.

"Good boy. I'll be back in the morning. You better appreciate my generosity. If I find that you tried to escape, you will definitely regret it." And with that last remark, Shredder left, taking the objects with him.

When the door clicked shut and locked, Leo asked in a hushed voice, "You okay, Don?"

"I'm fine Leo. But what about you? Are you going to be okay?" Donnie whispered back, his anxiety palpable in the air.

"Sure I will Don. Just…need…s…ome…" Leo succumbed to the soothing blackness, vaguely hearing someone call his name as the outside world disappeared.

"LEO!"

-x-

**So this is my longest chapter…EVER (5,496 words) but it's been a while since I last updated so I hope you guys don't mind the longer chapter. Either way let me know what you guys think! :D Love you all!**

**-Ariane**


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